My mare has since june been lame on her front nearside leg, i've been told by my farrier that she has a shoulder injury and to rest her. She has a bad limp when trotted head nods when on a circle. The limp isn't as bad when she is trotted on the straight. We initally wonered if she was doing it to get out of work as she knows im a softly that instantly stops when theres something wrong. Strange thing is the yard owner say that when they are playing in the field together she doesn't limp when trotting. And thought that if she had such a problem surely she wouldn't play so much? But when she last saw me try to trot her she told me to stop as she could see the limp was bad and that she really struggled to do it. And then whenshe trotted back into the field the limp was really obvious and she nly done a few steps in trot.She wondered if there's a problem with her stifle. She told me that rest will help but is reluctant to say stable her as then she's not gettng any movement and as she is 15 she would stiffen up and possibly make it worse. She's 24/7 turned out.
The farrier came and trimmed her feet last Friday and then on Wednesday I noticed that her left hind bulb has split. Its deep but there is no smell or cut just suddenly split, I can get most of the angle part of a hoof pick in there, she doesn't bother when I do that but when I touch the area below her fetlock joint she moved away from me. We're having a very wet summer so it's definitely not due to drying out. The other horse she lives with has mud fever which the owner is treating but there's no sign of that with my girl. I've been cleaning the foot with clean water with disinfectant in and then drying. I'm not putting any cream into it as there's no wound and worry that the cream would just keep the area wet. What's wrong. As she hasn't had any work since middle of june she's now got quite fat, she's a very greedy mare. I can't stable her as her friend wouldn't cope away from her and he really doesn't like to be stabled for any real period of time. I've now ordered a grass muzzle but am not sure for how long she would need it on. Are these problems all connected I really don't know what to do for the best

If you can get a hoof pick into the crack, you have a case of deep sulcus thrush. It is very painful for the horse and would explain her reluctance to move.

First take some Q-tips and get out as much of the gross black gooey stuff. The wash her foot with Dawn dish detergent. Scrub the area really well with a wire brush. Try to get every nook and cranny so to speak. Rinse well.

Next step is to apply something to address the infection itself. My personal favorite is Tomorrow Dry Cow. Tractor Supply sells it. If you can't get that stuff, the next best would be a 50/50 mix of Triple Antiboitic ointment and Athletes foot cream. Again use a Q-tip or syringe so you can get it into every crack. If the crack is really big, use a few cotton balls to stuff into the opening so it can stay exposed to air. This bacteria cannot live in air, so if you keep it exposed to air, that's half your battle. Keep doing this until the crack heals from the inside out and you can no longer get a hoof pick in there.

Last step, shop for a new farrier. A farrier who cannot spot thrush that severe has no business working on horse hooves.

Firstly, horses don't lie about pain, so if she's limping, she's sore. What have you done for it? Vet? As farrier & barn owner both thought it was a body issue(albeit different ends) have you had a bodyworker look at her?

I got the idea the 'split' was probably an abscess that's burst, which may also account for lameness - was she any better after you noticed the split? But Puck got the idea you were talking about thrush in a contracted heel. This illustrates the need for more info. Pics would also be a good idea(check out link below).

Yes, if she's fat, good move to put her on a diet, whether that means grazing muzzle or such. Strip or track grazing is another option. Best not to lock horses up unless absolutely necessary.

Hi, There is no discharge or smell in the hoof so I don't think there is any thrush there. It's completely clean. And she doen't bother at all whenI'm poking or scrubbing it. Some other friends has said it's split down to the wet weather. I have been cleaning it with water and disinfectant drying it and on the first day packed it with Sudocrem. Second day she didn't move away when I touched below her fetlock. Since then I have just been cleaning it and then spraying area with purple spray.

As far as the shoulder injury is concerned I have just rested her as the farrier said. She isn't moving away from me as I press her shoulder as much as she was but she is still limping when she trots. I have photos of her foot but don't know how to post them on here

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